Medic’s warning over botched facial fillers
ONE of the nation’s leading cosmetic surgeons has warned that botched procedures are now ‘rampant’ as non-medics providing treatments are experiencing a boom in business.
Dr Patrick Treacy claims that the number of unqualified non-medics administering treatments such as dermal fillers is ‘out of control’.
In Ireland, anyone can inject dermal fillers, with many beauty academies now offering day-long courses for those hoping to enter the field. However, non-medics do not have the training to rectify complications that can occur.
Dr Treacy, the medical director at Ailesbury Clinics, said he sees a number of clients looking to have dermal fillers rectified on a daily basis. ‘It’s really, really out of control. Are they allowed to inject people at all?’ he told the Mail.
‘They’re using lignocaine and fillers, and that’s prescription medicine so they shouldn’t be allowed to do it anyway.
‘One day they’re a nail technician, the next day they’re a beautician, usually without any qualifications, and the next day they’re injecting people’s faces. They’ve no insurance, most are taking cash, they’ve all got massive Instagram accounts. Some are actively going around to people’s houses.’
Director of the Avoca Clinic, Ailish Kelly, explained the potential consequences of such work going wrong.
‘We would see people who have punctured the lip completely, they go right in and they puncture a blood vessel so that the lip expands,’ she explained.
It is believed that ‘black market’ providers saw a boost in business during lockdown, when most clinics paused services.
Most have gained a significant following on social media, which attracts younger age groups.
Dr Treacy continued: ‘We’re growing up with an unusual generation of people. They’re all lovely people… but they also believe anything they’re told, particularly somebody with 100,000 people on Instagram.’
While Botox can only be prescribed and carried out by medics, Dr Treacy described Ireland as having amongst the lowest standards when it comes to regulating other facial treatments. He said: ‘The Government really needs to do something about this, it’s totally out of control There’s no legislation, that’s half the problem. It’s probably the biggest open sore in the beauty industry.’
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said manufacturing and marketing of dermal fillers are regulated under the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR).
‘The MDR, which became fully applicable in May 2021, has an expanded scope and will specifically include all dermal fillers, including those without a medical purpose, within the scope of that legislation once the technical requirements, known as common specifications, for these products are in place,’ she added.